Aristotles Motion: Aristotle On Nature's Motion

Gerald E. Wright JR PHIL-386R 08 Mar 2016

Aristotle on Nature

(Nature?s Motion) Aristotle discusses in Physics Book 2 that nature has motion. He clearly states ?Of things that exist, some exit by nature, some from other causes. By nature the animals and their parts exist, and the plants and the simple bodies (earth, fire, air, water) ? for we say that these exist by nature? (Physics, Book II, Chapter I, 192b 9-11).

I claim that even when things of nature are turned into artifacts (desks, statues, buildings, etc.) that the inherent motion that nature has given the base materials remains and that nothing man can do will change the end. I will do this by first showing the differences between how motion causes things like stone, wood, earth,

This is the transitional state from potentiality of the materials to the actualization of the form as describes in the previous step. This step is described by Aristotle ?Again, the primary source of the change or coming to rest; e.g. the man who gave advice is a cause, the father is cause of the child, and generally what makes of what is made and what causes change of what is changed? (Physics, Book II, Chapter III, 194b 30-33). This is a very important stage as we see that though the changes are taking place by changing the physical looks of the materials the underlying nature of the materials is never changed. Thus the internal motions that nature imbues the materials with is in full effect. The reality is nature will not stops is slow movement to the end of the materials it simply allows the physical changes to

(Physics, Book II, Chapter 7, 198a 30-32). We see in this specification that there are things incapable of moving, which by definition is Aristotle?s Prime Mover. We see that the second classification that is given within the text is things in motion, but indestructible, according to Aristotle this would indicate the universe what moves to be more perfect though we know that in its movement it is not as perfect as the prime mover. The final classification is what Aristotle places nature in. Thus the destructible things are the very things that nature is in charge of and this goes from man and plant to the prime elements. As I stated earlier the idea of wood, stone, and earth to build a house is nothing more than taking nature reshaping into a desirable thing for us, but as it is part of nature, we must accept that even in a changed state by our hands nature?s rules still apply and there will be nothing we can do to stop the movement towards privation of the materials